At the meeting of the Board of Directors of BRMC on Monday night, the proposed tax rate for 2020-2021 was set.
The Board issued the following statement: “Considering the recent federal government assistance to hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic, the BRMC Board elected to reduce the burden on local taxpayers by only approving a $0.01 increase to the current tax revenue. The statute would have allowed a 2.6 cent increase without voter approval, but everyone on the board was unanimous in that the taxpayers of Terry County could not afford an additional increase.”
The proposed rate is $0.354947.
The BRMC Board set the Public Tax Hearing for September 2, at 6:30 p.m. in the BRMC Boardroom.
There has been 10.4% decrease in taxable value in the last year. This has put a hardship on all taxing entities, as well as the taxpayers.
The Board also approved the purchase of a “Tru-D.” This was purchased with a $90,000 HRSA (Health Resources and Services Administration) grant . This machine uses a UV light to neutralize bacteria in a room. BRMC Administrator Jerry Jasper stated, “We are really fortunate to obtain this. You just put it in a room and close the door and the bacteria is killed by the light.”
Tru-D is an automated, remotely-operated system that self-adjusts to the size and content dynamics of a room to deliver the proper dose of UVC light energy. As energy is deflected around the room, shadowed areas are reached and pathogens are eradicated ensuring a thorough disinfection outcome, every time.
Work continues on the two-story wing of the hospital. Jasper expects work to be completed, sometime in October. Protocols related to COVID-19 have slowed progress to a degree.
